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Are there any interactions with medications?

AmphetaminesInteraction Rating:
Major Do not take this combination.

Stimulant drugs such as amphetamines speed up the nervous system. By speeding up the nervous system, stimulant medications can make you feel jittery and increase your heart rate. The caffeine in pu-erh tea might also speed up the nervous system. Taking pu-erh tea along with stimulant drugs might cause serious problems including increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Avoid taking stimulant drugs along with pu-erh tea.

Cimetidine (Tagamet)Interaction Rating:
Major Do not take this combination.

Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Cimetidine (Tagamet) can decrease how quickly your body breaks down caffeine. Taking cimetidine (Tagamet) along with pu-erh tea might increase the chance of caffeine side effects including jitteriness, headache, fast heartbeat, and others.

Stimulant drugs such as cocaine speed up the nervous system. By speeding up the nervous system, stimulant medications can make you feel jittery and increase your heart rate. The caffeine in pu-erh tea might also speed up the nervous system. Taking pu-erh tea along with stimulant drugs might cause serious problems including increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Avoid taking stimulant drugs along with pu-erh tea.

Stimulant drugs speed up the nervous system. Caffeine (contained in pu-erh tea) and ephedrine are both stimulant drugs. Taking caffeine along with ephedrine might cause too much stimulation and sometimes serious side effects and heart problems. Do not take caffeine-containing products and ephedrine at the same time.

Adenosine (Adenocard)Interaction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. The caffeine in pu-erh tea might block the effects of adenosine (Adenocard). Adenosine (Adenocard) is often used by doctors to do a test on the heart. This test is called a cardiac stress test. Stop consuming pu-erh tea or other caffeine-containing products at least 24 hours before a cardiac stress test.

The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Some antibiotics might decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking these antibiotics along with pu-erh tea can increase the risk of side effects including jitteriness, headache, increased heart rate, and other side effects.

Clozapine (Clozaril)Interaction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down clozapine (Clozaril) to get rid of it. The caffeine in pu-erh tea seems to decrease how quickly the body breaks down clozapine (Clozaril). Taking pu-erh tea along with clozapine (Clozaril) can increase the effects and side effects of clozapine (Clozaril).

Dipyridamole (Persantine)Interaction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. The caffeine in pu-erh tea might block the effects of dipyridamole (Persantine). Dipyridamole (Persantine) is often used by doctors to do a test on the heart. This test is called a cardiac stress test. Stop consuming pu-erh tea or other caffeine-containing products at least 24 hours before a cardiac stress test.

Disulfiram (Antabuse)Interaction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Disulfiram (Antabuse) can decrease how quickly the body gets rid of caffeine. Taking pu-erh tea (which contains caffeine) along with disulfiram (Antabuse) might increase the effects and side effects of caffeine including jitteriness, hyperactivity, irritability, and others.

EstrogensInteraction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down the caffeine in pu-erh tea to get rid of it. Estrogens can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking pu-erh tea along with estrogens can cause jitteriness, headache, fast heartbeat, and other side effects. If you take estrogens limit your caffeine intake.

Fluvoxamine (Luvox)Interaction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down the caffeine in pu-erh tea to get rid of it. Fluvoxamine (Luvox) can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking pu-erh tea along with fluvoxamine (Luvox) might cause too much caffeine in the body, and increase the effects and side effects of caffeine.

LithiumInteraction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Your body naturally gets rid of lithium. The caffeine in pu-erh tea can increase how quickly your body gets rid of lithium. If you take products that contain caffeine and you take lithium, stop taking caffeine products slowly. Stopping pu-erh tea too quickly can increase the side effects of lithium.

Medications for asthma (Beta-adrenergic agonists)Interaction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. Caffeine can stimulate the heart. Some medications for asthma can also stimulate the heart. Taking caffeine with some medications for asthma might cause too much stimulation and cause heart problems.

Medications for depression (MAOIs)Interaction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. Caffeine can stimulate the body. Some medications used for depression can also stimulate the body. Taking pu-erh tea with these medications used for depression might cause serious side effects including fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, nervousness, and others.

Some of these medications used for depression include phenelzine (Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), and others.

NicotineInteraction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Stimulant drugs such as nicotine speed up the nervous system. By speeding up the nervous system, stimulant medications can make you feel jittery and increase your heart rate. The caffeine in pu-erh tea might also speed up the nervous system. Taking pu-erh tea along with stimulant drugs might cause serious problems including increased heart rate and high blood pressure. Avoid taking stimulant drugs along with caffeine.

Pentobarbital (Nembutal)Interaction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The stimulant effects of the caffeine in pu-erh tea can block the sleep-producing effects of pentobarbital (Nembutal).

PhenylpropanolamineInteraction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The caffeine in pu-erh tea can stimulate the body. Phenylpropanolamine can also stimulate the body. Taking pu-erh tea along with phenylpropanolamine might cause too much stimulation and increase heartbeat, blood pressure, and cause nervousness.

Riluzole (Rilutek)Interaction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down riluzole (Rilutek) to get rid of it. Taking pu-erh tea can decrease how fast the body breaks down riluzole (Rilutek) and increase the effects and side effects of riluzole.

TheophyllineInteraction Rating:
Moderate Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. Caffeine works similarly to theophylline. Caffeine can also decrease how quickly the body gets rid of theophylline. Taking pu-erh tea along with theophylline might increase the effects and side effects of theophylline.

The body breaks down the caffeine in pu-erh tea to get rid of it. Verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan) can decrease how quickly the body gets rid of caffeine. Taking pu-erh tea along with verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan) can increase the risk of caffeine side effects including jitteriness, headache, and an increased heartbeat.

AlcoholInteraction Rating:
Minor Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down the caffeine in pu-erh tea to get rid of it. Alcohol can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking pu-erh tea along with alcohol might cause too much caffeine in the bloodstream and caffeine side effects including jitteriness, headache, and fast heartbeat.

Birth control pills (Contraceptive drugs)Interaction Rating:
Minor Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down the caffeine in pu-erh tea to get rid of it. Birth control pills can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking pu-erh tea along with birth control pills can cause jitteriness, headache, fast heartbeat, and other side effects.

Some birth control pills include ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel (Triphasil), ethinyl estradiol and norethindrone (Ortho-Novum 1/35, Ortho-Novum 7/7/7), and others.

Fluconazole (Diflucan)Interaction Rating:
Minor Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Fluconazole (Diflucan) might decrease how quickly the body gets rid of caffeine. Taking pu-erh tea along with fluconazole (Diflucan) might increase the risk of caffeine side effects such as nervousness, anxiety, and insomnia.

Medications for diabetes (Antidiabetes drugs)Interaction Rating:
Minor Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Mexiletine (Mexitil)Interaction Rating:
Minor Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

Pu-erh tea contains caffeine. The body breaks down caffeine to get rid of it. Mexiletine (Mexitil) can decrease how quickly the body breaks down caffeine. Taking mexiletine (Mexitil) along with pu-erh tea might increase the caffeine effects and side effects of pu-erh tea.

Terbinafine (Lamisil)Interaction Rating:
Minor Be cautious with this combination.Talk with your health provider.

The body breaks down caffeine (contained in pu-erh tea) to get rid of it. Terbinafine (Lamisil) can decrease how fast the body gets rid of caffeine and increase the risk of side effects including jitteriness, headache, increased heartbeat, and other effects.

Dosing considerations for Pu-erh Tea.

The appropriate dose of pu-erh tea depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for pu-erh tea. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.